


Dameron

by PantherDolphin



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Finn and Poe have a kid, Force Bond, Multi, Original Characters - Freeform, Post-Canon, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, She is all grown up, Stormpilot, married Finn and Poe, this family is a hot mess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-03
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-05-01 21:32:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 7,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14529639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PantherDolphin/pseuds/PantherDolphin
Summary: Finn and Poe never wanted to fall in love in the middle of a war.So naturally, they got married and adopted a rescued First Order recruit.Years later, the Dameron family is still struggling to keep their violent, war torn past behind them, while facing a new potential threat to the galaxy.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I’m so excited to get this story out of my head! Our perfect couple has done a wonderful job raising their toddler Stormtrooper into an amazing woman, and yes, BB-8 is still wreaking havoc and dishing the sass.

     Both men woke up half screaming from their nightmares. Finn and Poe were used to this happening now, each man quickly reaching out for the other to find comfort. The couple sat together, holding hands and leaning against each other, matching their breathing. This was their routine now, choreographed somewhere in their twenty-one years of marriage, perhaps even before that.

     This time, something was different. Their heart rates slowed, their breaths quieted, yet rather than feeling safe and grounded both Finn and Poe felt like they were trapped in their dreams, taken back to the war.

     Without a word, each man reached for their weapon of choose stashed on their bedside tables. As they climbed out of bed, Poe raised his blaster and Finn ignited his light saber casting a haunting blue glow over the room. They slowly made their way out into the hallway, clearing each door and window instinctively.

     As they approached the end of the hall, Finn threw up a hand, motioning to Poe to stop. He tended up, feeling that whatever, or whoever they were looking for was nearby. They stood still for a moment, listening. The sound of a blaster firing in their backyard split the silence, followed by the distinct sound of the blast being intercepted by a lightsaber. The men looked at each other in a panic before jumping into action.

     Poe moved to clear the stairwell as Finn stepped to check the nearby window. Upon looking out to see the scen unfolding below him, Finn powered down his lightsaber.

     “ _Your_ daughter is out ther sparring with _your_ droid.”

     “ _My_ daughter? Woah, buddy,” Poe said defensively, spinning around and stepping over to the window in a single motion. “That Jedi is yours. You did this.”

     “Still yourbdroid Poe,” Finn laughed, giving his husband a pat on the ass as he turned to make his way downstairs.

     “Nope,” Poe protested, following after Finn. “I have officially turned BB-8 over to Shara, making this whole thing entirely your fault.”

     “My fault?” Finn said, clearly offended. “The Girl is an insomniac that likes to blow things up or start Wars in her delirious state!”

     “That was one time! You can’t reference something she did when she was four and still living on a Resistance base.”

     “I was actually referring to the fact,” Finn raised his voice as he walked outside to the patio, “ _that we seem to be missing a tree, though we now have a lovely pile of ashes instead_.”

     “I didn’t do it!” Shara called out, half crouching away from her fathers. “Beeps got a little carried away, and they started missing. Just be glad we still have a house. You’re welcome.”

     “Your daughter, your droid,” Finn said sternly, glaring at Poe. “Why don’t we all go inside and try to get some sleep.”

     “Sleep?” Shara feigned confusion, “What the hell? Since when do any of us sleep?”

     “You should at least try,” Poe instructed his daughter. “Your leave ends tomorrow and you don’t want to show up to your first duty assignment looking like a hot mess.”

     “He would know,” Finn teased from the doorway, “that was literally the story of his entire career.”

     “That’s only like half true,” Poe tried to defend himself. BB-8 chirped our a response. “Not my point, bud- wait a second.” Poe turned to face Shara, staring her down with his bed I’m-the-parent expression. “Did you give my droid a blaster?”

     Shara smiled as she trotted towards the house, pausing to plant a kiss on Poe’s cheek.

     “I love you Daddy!”

     Poe stayed frozen, unsure of how to react to his daughter’s reckless yet genius addition to the old astromech.

     “The old man is just mad he never thought of that himself,” Finn laughed. “I have trained you well my padawan.”

     “Thanks Papa,” Shara gave her father a hug.

     “So now you claim her?” Poe growled.

     “Only my own daughter could break you like that,” Finn beamed, relishing his victory in this round of parenting.

 

~~~~~

 

     Shara landed her X-Wing at the Republic naval space port. She was anxious to begin her first assignment with the fleet. She spent her leave training in the Jedi arts and spending time with her fathers. While a peacetime fleet might not be anything too exciting, the fast pace and busy lifestyle were something Shara was beginning to miss in her time off.

     Shara took in what she could see if the the city that covered an entire planet. It was amazing to see how Courasant managed to rebuild after its violent fall back in the days of the Empire. The history here was dark and dismal, but conquering the past and rising again in glory made it a perfect home the Republic once more, and a symbol of hope.

     As Shara descended the ladder from her cockpit and removed her helmet, BB-8 beeped out a warning of an incoming person on interest. She immediately flipped her hair and attempted to rearrange it into something more presentable than helmet head.

     “How do I look, buddy?” BB-8 replied with a somewhat rude, if not honest strong of beeps.

     “I am most certainly not! You take that back, Beebs. For once I kinda have things sorta together.”

     “Oh heeeey,” Shara greeted her fellow pilot.

     “I guess we just can’t get away from each other can we, Dameron?” The young woman sighed. 

     “Unfortunately,” Shara casually replies. She gathered her rucksack then loosened her vest and the collar of her flights suit. Running into her ex was not how she wanted to start things here.

     “Don’t act like you aren’t a at least a little happy to see me,” a hand reached out and squeezed Shara on the shoulder just a little to hard, sending a shiver down her spine as she fought to repress the memories of her more recent past.

     “Izzy, please don’t delude yourself into thinking I want anything to do with you,” Shara pleaded. “It will be easier on the both of us.”

     With that, Shara stormed off to the locker room to change out of her flight suit and find her new quarters.

 

     Shara stood at the bunk assignment roster for a solid ten minutes. How in the hell could this possibly happen? Next to the name Shara Dameron was that of the last person in the galaxy she wanted to be anywhere near:  Izobela Rollins. Shara wanted to scream, cry, punch, and throw things. Was it too late to report what happened? Shara was going to find out. In the mean time though, she needed a place to leave her things that wouldn’t fit into a flight locker, so she had to face her current predicament.

     As Shara entered her quarters, she was relieved to find them still completely empty. She unpacked a few items to get to her datapad. Sitting on the bunk she decided would be hers, Shara tapped out a message to her commanding officer and the company admin in hopes of getting one of the room’s occupants reassigned. Shara hopes she would get a reply before officially reporting for duty the following morning, maybe even before having to spend a single night in the presence of her former tormentor.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What’s up Rey?  
> And other questions.

     Shara left her new quarters hoping to avoid her roommate, or soon to be ex-roommate if things worked out. She was, technically, still on leave, so she had her light saber clipped to her belt. It felt safer than a blaster since very few people could manage to do much with it of they tried to steal it from her. Not that being attacked and mugged while on base or even the streets of Courasant were a heavy risk factor for Shara, but she still liked the comfort of knowing she could keep herself safe.

     Shara wandered out into the city, thoughts wandering about in her head. Suddenly, a cold, dark feeling crept into her chest. She had felt this same feeling only days before, leaving her unable to sleep. Her Papa has felt it then too. Something dark was awakening in the Force, that was the only explanation. Shara ran off in th direction of the newly resurrected Jedi temple.

     Shara climes the familiar stair cases of the building until she reached the High Chamber. The room was designed to function as a council chamber. However, when only two Jedi were able to claim the title of master (mostly as a formality), it was more of a quiet space to reflect, think, and share for the few who ventured inside. 

     “We have to look into this Rey!” There is something going on that must be stopped.”

     “Finn, it just as easily could be the Force itself reminding us of its full power. We don’t, we can’t fully understand it.”

     The familiar voices carried across the vast chamber overlooking the city. Shara entered cautiously, listening to the debate, waiting for a moment to include her own thoughts.

     “We’ve found balance, and embrace it now. We are not the Jedi of the past. I have seen no uprising in our midst. Evil will always be out there in some form, but it doesn’t mean-“

     “How can you write this off as nothing?” Shara interjected. “The last time I felt surrounded by darkness like this was when I was three years old.”

     “Shara is right,” Finn agreed with his daughter. “This is powerful. We have to find out what is going on. I will _never_ let history repeat itself.”

     “Fine. You can talk to the leadership of the Republic and seek whatever investigation you think they can offer,” Rey conceded. “But we don’t have our own means of lookin any further into this ourselves. There are so few Jedi, and we aren’t organized. You can’t exactly ask our students to take part in a potentially unwarranted crusade.”

     “But we don’t just have our students,” Finn argued. “There are dozens of us now. We can contact those who have graduated to join our ranks as Jedi. All we need to know right now is how strong this disturbance is, then formulate a plan of action.”

     “Is this really our place?” Rey asks, “the Jedi fell because they felt it was their duty to be in control. That isn’t our way anymore.”

     “Listen. You’re right Rey. We can’t try to control everything. That is not our purpose. But we must protect what is right. We cannot allow darkness and chaos to destroy the galaxy once more,” Shara spoke with urgency. Twice the galaxy had descended into hell because no one wanted to acknowledge the darkness right in front of their faces. Shara and her father were far to intimately aquatinted with the second installment of the dark side’s reign. “This is the same story that has been told for generations. History will repeat itself if we let it. This cycle, it ends _now_.”

     “Shara glared at Rey, only the second Jedi master since the fall of the old Republic and rise of the Empire. Luke Skywalker was the first, and he managed to usher in the reign of the First Order by driving his own nefew to the dark. Now, Rey seemed poised to allow the light to be snuffed out once more.

     Shara turned on her heels and headed to the door. She came here for answers, and instead found conflict. She began to think of ways she could investigate this herself. Shara made a note to contact some of her former training mates from growing up. Her Pap had taken on several other stormtrooper recruits as padawans once he felt comfortable with the Force himself. She knew she could count on those Jedi to help, she just needed to figure out how. Shara hurries backbto the vase so she could organize her thoughts a little better.

     There were quite a few Force sensitive individuals amongst the ranks of the First Order stormtroopers. Rey and finn has taken to training as many as were willing in the ways of the Force, with the help of the spirits of the great Jedi masters of the past. Many of those pupils never completed their training, opting to use the religious aspect more as a grounding tool for their lives. It was mostly the younglings who followed through to become Jedi knights. At the time, there didn’t seem to any problems with allowing students to walk away so easily. Now, Shara found herself wondering if a wayward stormtrooper trained in the Force was unable to let go of their anger, and found themselves pulled deep into the dark side. Shara shuttered at the idea. The cycle had to end, yet here it was starting all over again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn and Poe really are such great dads.  
> Izzy is crazy and needs to go.

     Shara walked alone through the corridors of the Republic Fleet’s base, lost in thought about the dark awakening she could feel in the Force. She was so wrapped up in her own mind that she didn’t notice the sound of footsteps as someone came behind her.

     “Shara!” A voice rang out through the empty corridor. “How _dare_ you do this to me!”

     Shara turned around to face a distraught Izobela Rollins storminbtowards her.

     “You’ve ruined me! Is this what you wanted?”

     Shara found herself being shoved into a wall.

     “I loved you! And you have me ordered in front of a disciplinary board? You know I never hurt you, why say that I did?”

     The grip on Shara’s arms pinning her to the wall tightened significantly. An all too familiar pin settled under the hands of her captor.

     “Why do you do this to me? Why, Shara?”

     Izzy was shaking Shara now. Once, she would have just submitted, apologizing and admitting fault when there was no wrong doing on her part. Izzy pulled her away from the wall only to throw her across to the other one.

     “You’re nothing but a liar!” Izzy accused.

     “No, Izzy,” Shara tried to straighten up, her back protesting against the pain. Izzy was quite strong. Hand to hand combat was the only thing she never struggled with even a little at the academy.

     “Why are you trying to hurt me, Shara?”

     “I’m not.”

     Shara reaches out and held her ex with the Force, effectively paralyzing the woman. She felt the urge to squeeze the life out of Izzy, fighting to force that darkness away. She ultimately released her captive and began to walk away.

     “If you really think I’m the bad guy, why not just kill me?” Izzy called after Shara. 

     “Because that would make me no better than you.”

     As soon as Shara rounded the next corner she broke into a sprint. Once she found herself a reasonable distance away from her ex-girlfriend, Shara collapsed, leaning against the wall for support, and cried. The months of mental and physical abuse flooded her memory. Shara lost all control of herself.

     “My starlight,” the disembodied voice of her father came from somewhere, maybe nearby. “You are so much more than you realize.”

     The presence of the man she called Papa settler next to Shara. 

     “You are a person. You are beautiful. You are strong.” 

Shara leaned over and wrapped her arms around the former Stormtrooper turned Jedi master. She buried her face into his chest, crying harder. 

     “What did she do this time?”

     Finn lifted his daughter’s face to look her over. Shara winced a little as hisbhands rannover the fresh bruised on her arms. 

     “You’re the better person. Know that,” Finn stared desperately into the eyes of his little girl. No matter how big or how old Shara got, he would always be there to pick her up. He always kept Shara going. Ever since Finn rescued her from the First Order base in the midst of the Resistance’s final victorious attack, Shara was forever bonded to this man. This was her family, and she was forever greatful if that.

      Finn wiped away Shara’s tears, pulling her close again. They sat like that until Shara was able to compose herself once more.

~~~

     The father-daughter our wound their way to Shara’s quarters. As they walked, they bounced ideas around about how to look into the dark disturbance in the Force they helped feeling. It felt good to concentrate on something meaningful, even if it was heavy. They were now considering an appeal to the Republic to send reconnaissance missions to check in potential gathering sites for dark force users. Shara has a pretty good idea of where to start. 

     Upon opening the door to her quarters. Shara was created by two unexpected faces. 

     “What the hell is shendoing here!” Shara’sbother father, Poe, yelled across the small space. He was visibly upset by the presence of the other unexpected guest in the room.

     “Listen, I was assigned to these quarters, no matter what Shara wants to to say!” Izzy’s voice carried from the bunk she was unpacking her rucksack on. “Until they come and drag me out of here, I’m staying.”

     “That can be arranged,” Poe growled. 

     “That’s true. Daddy, can you hand me my datapad?”

     Poe handed the requested item to his daughter, all the while looking as if he could strike and kill Izzy at any given moment. Shara unlocked the datapad to see replies to her previous messages regarding living arrangements, all confirming that a transfer was being processed for Izzy and an investigation was being opened immediately. There was also a message from the commander of the security detail to contact them if there were any issues. She tapped out a quick reply before changing the subject back to more important matters.

    “Beebs, do you still have those old maps? The ones leading gonAch-to?” 

     Theblittle astromech droid whirled into the middle of the room, displaying the decades old star chart once used to locate Luke Skywalker.

     “We know where Luke ended his journey,” Finn studied the path markednout, “But look at these systems. They’re marked as if he stopped there too.”

     “There must have been some kind of strong pull from the force that drew him there. Ancient Sith temples would have made sense to be near Jedi temples. After all, they are two sides of the same coin, neither starting off at the extremes they became defined by.”

      Shara felt confident in her observations. She turned to her Daddy.

     “We’re going to need your help.”

     “Oh no,” Poe protested. “I’m here to help my baby girl get settled into her new life, not go off on some mission. I’m a mechanic now, I’ve got a shop to get back to.”

     “You don’t have to join us Poe,” Finn chimed in, “But perhaps hearing the suggestion from a certainty general Dameron will be enough to get us the resources we need to look in to this further.”

     “Please,” Shara begged her father with her best daddy-I-love-you-give-me-what-I-want face.

     “Poe,” Finn pleaded.

     “The things I do for you two,” Poe groaned, a defeated look on his face. He could never refuse the two people he lived the most in the universe. BB-8 squealed in excitement for his first real mission since the Dameron men retired from their former Resistance duties.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate Izzy, but she’s such a part of Shara. I don’t know why I gave my girl such a messed up backstory with a crazy ex, but it happened.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mostly filler here, but Shara did something kind of cool.

     “General and Master Dameron, we were not expecting you.”

     “We need your help,” Finn began, “with a Jedi matter. I know, unlike the Old Republic, we want to keep government and religion as separate as possible, but this has the potential to blurt those lines whether we like it or not. The Dark Side is awakening.”

     “Both master Jedi, and another Jedi Knight have felt a strong disturbance in th Force coming from the dark. They are still attempting to contact as many other Jedi and former students as possible to confirm just how strong this awakening is,” Poe launches into his mission proposal as if he hasn’t missed a day since retiring. “It appears in his journey to find the original Jedi temple we now know is on Ach-To, the late Luke Skywalker made some other stops and potential discoveries. A recon mission mission to these systems to get the lay of the land and lifeform readings are all we ask for at this time. But if my suspicions are correct, we may be looking at the rise of yet. Another fascist regime fueled by the dark side. It needs to be put to rest immediately.”

     “Thank you for your concern on the matter, gentlemen. We will consider this information and relay it to The Senate for future consideration. But we can’t just waste resources because a few Jedi have a gut feeling.”

     “It’s not just a gut feeling.” Finn protests. “This is the same power that could be felt throughout the reign of the First Order. I’ll be damned if I have to live through that again!”

     Shara left her hiding place just outside the door to the command center to add her own thoughts.

     “You speak of wasting resources,” Shara made her way to the group of officers in the center of the room, “yet begging tomorrow you have me standing around next to doors ‘keeping watch’ and flying the same old training missions I master in my first semester at the academy. You have a fleet, why not use it?”

     “Ensign, it’s not that simple.”

     “Why not?” Poe asks, sounding a bit offended.

     “There are checks and balances. We can’t just authorize-“

     “What about just me?” Shara suggests. “One officer, one ship. Rey can take the Falcon. Even with just us, we can find out what we need.”

     “You are not taking on this type of mission on your own,” Poe interjects.

     “And you would t have?” Finn defends their daughter.

     “I think I may have to reassign some personnel on the duty roster for tomorrow,” the flight commander speaks up for the first time, having actually listened to the intel and mmission proposals. “I need to add someone to an extended flight patrol. And Miss Dameron, I believe your little project is waiting for you in the hanger. I can have it fueled and ready if you, or anyone else, would like to take it on another test flight.”

     Shara and her commanding officer nodded at one another as they shared a knowing glance. Shara turned to leave the room.

     “Thank your for your time,” Poe said in parting, leading his husband from the room as well.

     “What project was the Commander referring to?” Poe inquired of his daughter once they were all in the corridor.

     “I can’t wait to show you Daddy!” Shara squealed, bouncing with excitement. “You’ll love it! You’ll like it too Papa. But Daddy, you’re going to be so jealous when you see the ship I’ve fixed up!”

 

~~~~~

 

     Poe stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes landed on an old, beat up T-65 X-Wing Starfighter from the days of the Rebellion.

        “Where the hell did you get that?” He exclaimed in awe before sprinting to the ship.”

     “I’m guessing that particular X-wing is an important one,” Finn said inquisitively.

     “It’s Red One, Luke’s Old ship,” Shara beamed. “After recovering it from Ach-To, it was just sitting around collecting dust. Isn’t she beautiful?” Shara ran across the hanger herself to join Poe.

     “You May need to ask Rey if you can barrow Artoo,” Shara informed her father as she caught up with him. “She still needs a fresh coat of paint, and I want to upgrade the fuel cells at some point to make them more efficient. But she runs like a dream.” Shara watched her father run a hand along the hull, inspecting every detail of the old fighter. “I added a brand new navicomputer and upgraded the hyperdrive. There was quite a lot of water damage when I started, but I think I’ve done a decent job.”

     Poe was left completely speechless, and extreme rarity. All he could do was glow with pride, looking at his daughter who managed to recover and restore Luke Skywalker’s famed ship.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This mission might actually get us somewhere. Also, Rey is a little snarky, but it’s all in good fun. Maybe.

     “You’re not taking the Falcon, Finn” Rey sighed. “You can barely fly a speeder.”

     “I fly just fine, “ Finn protested. Poe taught me.”

     “My point exactly. That’s why _I_ will be taking the Falcon, and you can hitch a ride.”

     “So now you’re in?” Finn asked skeptically.

     “I’ve been thinking about this, and I guess you’re right,” Rey admitted. “We can be the balance, but only if we can keep the dark side at bay. If there is an uprising, it has to be stopped.”

     “We don’t have to do anything about it right away,” Finn reassured Rey. “For now we’ll just, take a look. Asses the situation. Make a plan. Have you heard back from anyone yet?”

     “No” Rey replied, a little too calmly.

     “You would think such a strong, dark disturbance could be felt by anyone strong with the Force,” Finn pointed out. “I spoke with our students. They seemed puzzled as to why they didn’t sense it. Did you really not hear back from anyone, or just no one-“

     “I haven’t heard back at all,” Rey snapped.

     “Huh.”

 

~~~~~

 

     “I can’t believe I’m really going to fly this thing!” Poe burst with excitement over his comms.

     “Just take care of her,” Shara instructed. “She’s basically your grandchild. I will murder you if you hurt my baby.”

     “Understood,” Poe replied to his daughter.

     “If you’re done fan-girling Poe,” Rey teased over the comms on the Millennium Falcon, “we have an errand to run, I believe. Let the ensign go about her duty.”

     “Of course,” Poe grumbled back. “Requesting flight clearance now.”

     “Be safe you guys,” called over the comms. “And May the Force be with you.”

     Shara switched comm channels to that of the Republic fleet. She began her preflight checks, the. Fired up the engines of her X-wing. After receiving clearance for liftoff and checking in with the rest of her squadron, Shara maneuvered her fighter to the open runway, hovered at a safe altitude, and engaged main engines launching herself into orbit around Courasant. 

     Adrenaline courses through Shara’s veins as she shot through the planetary atmosphere. And overwhelming joy filled her very soul as the hazy sky gave way to brilliant stars dotting the darkness of space. Flying was really her one true love. It never once let her down.

     “BB-8, let’s set alarms so we don’t miss any check-ins, buddy.” Shara requested as she reviewed the coordinates for her rendezvous with Rey and her parents. BB-8 chirped an affirmative response. Shara input her course, keeping it as close to Republic systems as possible while wasting as little time as she could afford. After. Final calculations were made, Shara three the throttle of her fighter into light speed, watching the stars around her stretch into the hypnotysing swirl of hyperspace. 

     BB-8 let out a rather worried sounding string of beeps.

”Don’t worry, bud,” Shara reassured the little droid. “It’s just a little recon. Nothing is going to get to crazy on us, promise.”

 

~~~~~

 

     “So glad you could join us,” Rey’s voice came over the Shara’s comms as soon as she dropped out of light speed.

     “Excuse me for needing to keep up appearances,” Shara snipped. “It looks back to go rouge on your first ever patrol mission.”

     “If you don’t mind, ladies,” Poe interjected from his own ship, “I’ve alread scanned the first system on our list while waiting on the floating garbage pile that only showed up a few minutes ago. No signs of higher life forms at all.”

     “Only two more to go,” Rey said. “Let’s split up, shall we? Finn and Inwillbtake the Mahmoud system. Shara, Poe, you guys head to the Rigela system. Check-in in three hours.”

     “Roger that,” Shara replied. Something in the pit of her stomach flipped. She put in the coordinates for her next destination, knowing that there likely wouldn’t be anything to find. The cold, dark, lingering panic from her prior feelings creeped up again.

     “Alright Daddy,” Shara called to her father, “Let’s make this fast.”

 

~~~~~

 

     “I don’t feel anything here,” Shara notes out loud. “There’s life, but nothing dark.”

     “Keep scanning,” Poe suggested. “You might not knownit until-“

     “No. This isn’t what we’re looking for,” Shara said very matter-of-factually. “We need to get to the Magnium system. Something-“ The darkness pulled at Shara now. There was something eerily familiar to it, like and old forgotten friend.

     “We have to go, _now_ ,” Shara said in a near panic. “Beebs, get us ready!”

     “Shara! What’s going on?” Poe called out, his own panic rising in his voice. “You’re scaring me here! Talk to me!”

     Shara’s X-wing blinked out of sight before Poe could get a response.

     “Damnit! Artoo, we gotta follow her. I don’t know what the hell is going on, but it ain’t good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made up the names of these systems. It was getting too tedious to find out if they actually had names (I’m beginning to wonder if they do), so I just made up my own. Don’t hate me. If you do know the names of the systems on Luke’s map, please let me know so I can fix them!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wait, you mean, who’s alive again? But that’s impossible!  
> Rey, what have you done?!?!

     “Rey,” Finn struggled to get his friend’s attention. “Rey! What the hell?”  

     Alarms were going off in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon. Finn scrambled to recall what little flight knowledge he could. They were about to overshoot their destination if they didn’t drop out of light speed soon, and without properly calculated course, that could be deadly.

     “Seriously woman?!?!” Finn yelled. “Do you have any idea-“ Finn finally found the right set of controls and a small planet came in to view. “What is wrong with you?”

     Rey blinked several times as she finally turned to acknowledge Finn.

     “Ben Solo is alive. Don’t ask questions, but you have to promise not to tell anyone.”

     “No,” Finn growled. “Ben- Kylo Ren is dead. And if he isn’t, I am gathering every last Jedi we have-“

     “Ben Solo is alive, and he is down on that planet. We are going to check-in with the others and say we found nothing, then go home.”

     “You cut him off from everyone, didn’t you,” Finn asked, trying to desperately to keep calm.

     “Yes.”

     “Then why did you let me, and my _daughter_ , fell him?” Finn pressed.

      “He was teaching out to you Finn. I couldn’t stop him. And Shara was too strong. She was able to sense and break through any barriers I placed in the Force.”

     “The other night, I had a dream,” Finn began. “It was like so many of my nightmares, but it felt more real. Kylo Ren looked, old, as I suppose he would now. He was-“

     “We need balance, Finn,” Rey interrruped her friend, finallybshowing sone emotion as she spoke. “Light and dark. That’s how it has to be!”

     “No. We can embrace both sides of the Force, walk the grey area in between. We are not purely light, Rey. Kylo Ren, whoever he is training, they are all darkness. This ends now.”

     As soon as Finn finished speaking, an X-wing appeared next to the Falcon. Moments later, another showed up on the opposite flank.

     “He’s supposed to be dead,” Shara’s voice cracked over the comms.

     Finn glared at Rey as a wave disbelief washed over him.

     “Could someone please explain what is happening? Poe cried out.

     “Why did you reach out to him, Shara?” Reyvasked, keeping her voice steady.

     “It’s only fair to warn someone before you shove a lightsaber through their beating heart.”

     “Shara, we are going back to Courasant and discussing this,” Rey ordered.

     “Not me,” Shara argued, setting course for the planet below, cutting off her comms.

     “We can’t let her go alone,” Finn pleaded. “She doesn’t know what she’s up against!”

     “Ben is alive but-“ Rey started.

     “Will you stop calling him that?” Finn interrupted her.

     “Kylo Ren is alive, but just barely. He’s crippled, and can only communicate through the Force. He doesn’t want to raise an army, only train others.”

     “Poe,” Finn took over the comms. “We’re landing.”

     “Two steps ahead of ya, buddy!” Poe replied, already following their daughter planet side.”

     “You say he isn’t raising an army, but with multiple apprentices, he might as well be,” Finn threw his words at Rey as she turned the Falcon to follow after Shara.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And this is where Kylo Ren messes everything up for everyone, per usual.

     Shara followed her instincts, flying her X-wing around the planet to stay clear of any tracking once she entered the atmosphere. She brought the ship down by the side of a lake within a reasonable distance of what she felt must be the ancient Sith temple. She would be able to walk, but hopefully didn’t draw too much attention to herself.

     Shara fought back the urge to reach out to Kylo Ren once more. While in hyperspace, her thoughts brought her to the former leader of the the First Order and master of the dark side of the Force. In doing so, she brought up a clear image of the person ultimately responsible for her enslavement from infancy. His image slowly altered, giving way to what could only be described as a living corpse slumped over an overly ornate throne. He created her as SR-6007. Shara was shattered hearing that designation for the first time since being gifted the name of the woman who would have been her grandmother.

     Kylo Ren was meant to be dead. Rey had done the deed herself, Shara’s own parents laying eyes on his lifeless body before they all fled for safety. Yet, there he was, alive, and giving rise to the dark side once more. He needed to die, for real this time, and Shara told him as much.

     Shara began to walk in the direction of the temple, instructing BB-8 to stay behind and be ready to take off when she returned. Her X-wing wasn’t even out of sight when Shara heard the unmistakable sound of another C-wing followed by the Millennium Falcon. She turned back knowing it would be no use to try and run ahead.

     Poe was the first to land, jumping straight out of his cockpit, leaving R2-D2 to shut the fighter down themselves. He sprinted to his daughter, his face displaying his panicked state.

     “Shara! My sweet little girl! What is going on?” Poe’s voice was shaking.

     “She never killed him,” Shara answered her father with disgust, her eyes fixed at the top of the Falcon’s boarding ramp where Rey now stood. “Kylo Ren is here.”

     “But that’s impossible! I saw him with my own eyes!” Poe protested. He looked around at the members of the group now gathering together, eyes frantically searching for answers. 

     “I believed I had killed him,” Rey confessed “When we left his body, all signs of life were gone. Perhaps that was a mistake. We should have taken him with us. Who knows how he got here, but Ben Solo lives.”

     “ _THAT_ ,” Poe spat, “is not Ben Solo. Ben died a long time ago. You never even knew him!”

     “Poe,” Finn spoke softly, “Calm down. And no one is going after Kylo Ren,” growled the name, giving Rey a mean side glance. “We don’t know who he is surrounded by. We need to think this through. We know his only real resource right now is limited manpower. We can come back.”

     “Finn is right. Ben knows we’re coming either way. And, maybe I could, talk to him,” Rey spoke nervously.

     “And you could also stop calling him Ben,” Poe whispered, shaking with rage.

     “Poe,” Finn cautioned, “now is not the time.”

     “How long did you know?” Shara spoke up again.

     “As long as you really. He reached out to me. I tried to cut him off from the Force so no one would know. But he reached out to Finn, and you could feel it.” Rey explained herself with shame in her eyes.

     “So you were trying to protect that worthless piece of-“

     “I didn’t know what he was doing until you reached out. Ben told me everything. I think.” Rey too several breathes to steady herself before continuing. “He is training others, mostly former stormtroopers who-“

     “We let leave before completing their training as Jedi. We’ve lost contact with some of them,” now Finn’s face was full of shame.

     “No, it isn’t them,” Rey corrected Finn. “But others. Younglings escapes from bases where the Resistance never found them. It must be all they know, living as slaves to ththe dark.”

     The four of them stood in silence for a moment, the air between them thick with tension. None of them knew what to say next.

     A loud series of beeps split the silence.

     “Shit! I missed a check-in,” Shara ran to her ship to establish contact with the Republic fleet command. She was meant to be on a routine patrol after all.

    “We should all go,” a weary Poe suggested, still shaking with a combination of panic and rage. He walked back to the refurbished X-wing that he flew in on, pausing to nod at his daughter wishing her an easy flight back to base. Finn did the same making his way back to the Falcon, Rey following close behind.

     Shara forced herself to regain composure and prepared for a long flight back. There would be too much on her mind now, and she needed to stay focused.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn explains why Poe was more upset over calling Kylo Ren “Ben Solo” than he is over the fact that he’s still alive. Poe spends his flight back to Coruscant reflecting on long past events.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is kind of flashbacks withwin a flashback, so hopefully it isn’t too disjointed.

     Finn spent most of the flight back to Coruscant sitting alone in the Millennium Falcon’s man cabin. He contemplated the twist of events now unfolding. Kylo Ren was alive. The dark side of the Force was taking hold in the galaxy once more. Finn had no idea where his best friend stood in all this mess. His daughter was on the brink of a murderous rampage. And he couldn’t quite reconcile the growing jealousy he now felt over his husband’s emotional outburst over another man.

     Finn finally decided the silence was too much, and reluctantly made his way to the cockpit. He took a seat in the co-pilot chair, watching the swirling light echoes of hyperspace surround the ship.

     “Your husband is an ass,” Rey decided to speak first.

     “Yeah, But he’s pretty,” Finn retorted.

     “He has no reason to be so bent out of shape over any of this,” Rey continued, ignoring Finn’s humor. “How we handle Ben is Jedi business. And what I chose to call the person I know better than any of you isn’t up to him either.”

     “But Poe is right,” Finn admitted more to himself than to Rey. “The Ben Solo he once loved died when they were younger.”

 

~~~~~

 

     Poe knew, from the very moment he spoke, there was something painfully familiar about the man standing before him. Despite the effects of the mask, Poe could almost hear the echo of a voice long lost. But there was no way for it to be real. He remembered hearing the news like it was yesterday. The same moment Poe thought he was over Ben forever, the young man was gone forever, and nothing ever hurt more.

     They met when they were only younglings. Poe hadn’t spoken since the night his mother died. At the funeral, he found a corner to hide in, wanting nothing more than to be alone. A about three years younger than himself a pro he’d, looking for a playmate in the sea of adults.

     “Wanna play?”

     “No.”

     “Is it because you’re sad too? Like the grown ups?”

     The young Poe curled in to himself, shying away from the interaction. 

     “Your momma still loves you. She isn’t really gone you know.”

     “GO AWAY!”

     “My momma says we should be happy for the people who become one with the Force. They get to live forever.”

     “But she isn’t here.”

     The little boy took Poe’s hand and sat with him. After a while, the two boys began talking about their favorite starships. From that point on, they were best friends.

     Despite growing up on different worlds, Poe always made it a point to contact his younger friend on a regular basis. He always looked forward to the occasional visits from the Solo family knowing he would get to see Ben in person.

     “Have you ever kissed a girl?” A ten year old Ben asked his older friend.

     “Naw,” Poe replied. “I don’t really see the big deal.”

     “Neither do I,” Ben confessed. “A girl kissed me the other day at school. There wasn’t anything special about it. All my other friends think kissing girls is a big deal.

     “Most of mine do too,” Poe said, a sense of disappointment in his voice. “They make fun of me because I haven’t kissed anyone.”

     “Why not?” Ben asked.

     “I guess I just haven’t found a person I want to kiss. At least not anyone who would want to kiss me back,” Poe mused.

     “I would think all the girls would want to kiss you,” Ben said, shocked.

     “They probably do,” Poe laughed, “But, uh, they aren’t exactly my type.”

     “What do you mean?” Ben was confused.

     “I would much rather kiss a boy,” Poe replied.

     “You don’t want to kiss me, do you?” Ben asked, a little weirded out.

     “Naw, you’re my friend. That would be so weird.” Poe reassured the other boy.

     “Yeah,” Ben sighed in relief. “It probably would be.”

     About a year and half after their conversation on kissing, the idea of doing so with each other wasn’t so weird anymore. The boys went for a walk together in the jungle of Yavin 4. They kept quiet, simply enjoying being together. After a while, they started laughing for seemingly no reason at all. They leaned in each other for support as they ran out of breath. Their faces inches closer and closer together, until eventually their lips met.

     As with any young first kiss, it didn’t last long and lack d in passion, but it left a lasting impression. It was also the first of many more to come.

     Now, strapped to a First Order interrogation and torture table, Poe’s first real heartbreak came flooding back to him. A holo message from Ben Solo stating that he needed to put aside any distractions l- _how could having a supportive boyfriend be a distraction?-_ to focus on his training.

     The old Jedi were forbidden to fall in love, but Ben had explained that Luke Skywalker felt it should be encouraged instead. How could anyone learn compassion for all living things while denying themselves of this most basic of needs? Yet, a cold, detached Ben Solo thought of Poe Dameron as a distraction.

     Poe forced himself to dislodge notion that these memories were being extracted for a reason. The man behind the mask, Kylo Ren, was simply drawing on a painful event. It wouldn’t work if Poe could help it.

_“Always the optomist, weren’t you Poe?”_

     Something inside Poe broke when he heard the voice of his first love inside of his head. He screamed. Ben could take whatever he wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never intended to write anything like this. I don’t even ship Darkpilot. But Poe decided to get emotional on me in chapter 7, so I felt the need to address it. It still fits with the story because now it makes it more personal to Poe, not just Jedi business. It also inspired me to incorporate some other unrelated crazy plot points I would have never considered. My story is changing slightly from my original ideas, but for the better I think!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stop it Kyle Ron! Seriously, go away.

     “The threat is real,” Shara says as she enters the briefing room. Several members of the Republic Fleet Command are gathered for her private debrief. “There is an active Sith training temple, though I would be hard pressed to call them actual Siths.”

     “Who is training them?” The intelligence commander asks.

     “They have an experienced yet unbalanced leader. I’m not sure it’s wise at this time-“

     “How many apprentices are there?”

     “I never got the chance to find out, sir. This was just-“

     “How strong are these individuals?”

    “I don’t,” Shara held her tongue, knowing that continuing to speak at this moment would likely result in a dramatic outburst, and subsequent disciplinary action.

     “Why don’t we listen to the ensign’s report before asking ang questions,” the flight commander spoke up. Commander Beya was clearly the most responsible of the senior officers. He was the one who authorized the mission in the first place.

     “Thank you, Commander. The temple we located was in the Magnium system. The planet is small, heavily forested. No major oceans, but some large lakes and rivers. The temple is located in the equatorial region, situated several kilometers from a larger body of water. It seems as though the activity there is rather recent. Perhaps smaller pockets exist throughout the galaxy, and this is just a recent gathering of stronger members. Their leader-“ Shara struggled to articulate the inexplainable truth that Kylo Ren was still alive. “He, well, their leader is mostly incapacitated, though extremely strong with the Force. I’m afraid there may not be much we can do without starting another war at this point.”

     “And how do you know so much about the inner workings of this cell to reach such a conclusion?” an admiral asked pointedly.

     “Because,” Shara took a long, deep breath, “Kylo Ren is alive. He reached out to me, and I to him. We never really won the war, gentleman.”

     “And you really expect us to believe that the confirmed deceased leader of the former First Order is alive and well, spearheading a new regime?”

     “No,” Shara answered honestly. “He is alive, but only just. He doesn’t have the resources, but an attack could make us look like the bad guys and allow him to gain support. That’s where we run into issues.”

     “Thank you for your report Ensign Dameron,” Commander Beya said with a nod. “You are dismissed.”

 

~~~~~

 

     Shara retreated to her now, thankfully, empty quarters. She flopped on her bunk, both mentally and physically exhausted from her day. Her stomach growled with hunger, though she was more interested in sleep at this point. Shara closed her eyes, letting the world slowly slip away.

     A few minutes later, Shara snapped up with a shock.

     “I’m disappointed. I thought you wanted to destroy me,” Kylo Ren’s voice echoed, though Shara couldn’t tell where from, or if it was even real.

      “I will. Mark my words,” Shara replies, just in case Ren was actually listening.

     “That’s what Rey once said. You’ll try, but you can’t win.”

     “I’m not Rey.”

     “I know. You’re better than she is. You’re more focused, more controlled. Stronger even. But it won’t matter.”

     “Rot in hell.”

     “I already have.”

     Shara shook as the link with Ren was broken. She was filled with terror knowing he could enter her mind like that so easily. She  didn’t understand why he thought she wouldn’t destroy him His praise for her abilities was also confusing. Shara struggled to piece together this experience. She had reached out and felt his presence earlier, sensing his brokenness but also his determination and mirth. She never spoke to him, yet Rey knew what she had done. Could Ren speak to anyone? Was it possible she could do the same? 

     Shara exhausted what was left of her mental capacity trying to make sense of things. She laid back down and instantly fell asleep, hoping to find time to talk her Papa later. Perhaps he would be of some help figuring things out.

 

~~~~~

 

     “Leave her alone,” Rey spat.

     “Why? Are you jealous?” Ren accused.

     “She’s only a girl, don’t do this.”

     “So were you.”

     “Stop!”

     “You know I can’t. You should have killed me when you had the chance. There was never any good in me.”

     “Ben please. She won’t let you, or any of your apprentices live. In fact, she could destroy us all!”

     “Or just you. The light may need the dark, but darkness survives on its own. I will have her.”

     “Never.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking a while to update. I haven’t been feeling this story as much lately because it started going in a different direction than I originally planned. Since my fictional writing skills aren’t that great, and I haven’t gotten much love for this, I was ready to give up completely. But I’ve decided to finish what I’ve started, no matter how horrible. Thank you for putting up with my story!


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